TI WiLink 7.0 packs WiFi-N, Bluetooth 3.0, FM & GPS onto single chip

While we focused more on Texas Instruments’ eye-catching OMAP4 development device when we visited the company a few weeks ago, we also had a chance to talk to their wireless chipset team. TI’s combo chipsets – which pack various mixtures of WiFi, Bluetooth, FM and GPS onto a single component – get a new sibling today, in the shape of the WiLink 7.0, an integrated chip that combines all four of those wireless technologies.

The TI WiLink 7.0 squeezes WiFi a/b/g/n, FM transmit/receive, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS onto a chip that’s 50-percent smaller than current alternatives and – perhaps more importantly – uses 30-percent less power. That adds up to smaller, longer lasting mobile devices, and devices that have better use of their wireless connectivity. As TI explained to us, when you’re using separate components there’s a limit to the amount of interconnectivity between them; if you combine them into one chip, meanwhile, things like power-management and intelligent usage profiles become possible.

We’ll have to wait a while to see the first commercial products using the Texas Instruments WiLink 7.0, however; while the chip is sampling now to OEMs, products aren’t expected until the end of the year.

“TI’s announcement that its Bluetooth/FM/GPS/WLAN combination IC is sampling to major OEMs marks the first of its kind, demonstrating the strong future for combination ICs that enable device manufacturers to offer multiple radios without sacrificing performance, space requirements or profit margins,” said Lisa Arrowsmith, analyst, IMS Research. “IMS Research forecasts that by 2013, more than 4.5 billion combination ICs featuring a variety of radios will have been shipped.”

“As the first company to put the power of GPS, WLAN, Bluetooth and FM technologies on a single chip, we are excited to have solved some of the market’s most complex coexistence challenges,” said Haviv Ilan, vice president and general manager, wireless connectivity solutions, TI. “This type of innovation builds on our strong heritage in the wireless market and commitment to spearhead next-generation advancements. With its ability to support simultaneous use of all four radios, the WiLink 7.0 solution will truly revolutionize the way people interact with their devices and connect to the larger world.”

Availability

The WiLink 7.0 solution is sampling to major OEMs today. Devices using the WiLink 7.0 solution are expected to enter the market by the end of 2010.